Sunday, August 16. 2009

Today I decided to implement a new bootsplash layout. Vesamenu of the isolinux project worked fine during our tests so I decided we should think about making it to grml's default. My implementation in grml-live allows you to fall back to the old bootsplash layout via enabling one single configuration option (being: ISOLINUX_METHOD=console) and you can even get the old function keys layout back during runtime using the 'Further boot options...' entry. It should become part of the daily ISOs soon. Hopefully our next development release shows that users like it and it doesn't cause any problems.

So that's what I'm talking about - grml's new bootsplash in its current layout:

Wednesday, August 12. 2009

grml release 2009.05 supports a bootoption 'readonly' which marks all /dev/[hs]*dX devices as readonly. This is important for data rescue and forensic investigations and is automatically activated when booting via 'forensic'. I just implemented readonly support for hotplugging. This means you can safely add new block devices to your system when booted via forensic and the blockdevices will be set to readonly mode automatically. You'll notice something like that in your syslog:

The grml64 flavour has two kernel entries (one being a leftover from the bootloader templates used for remastering) and due to murphy the wrong one is used. If you press the tab key with grml64 flavour being selected on the bootprompt you'll see:

/boot/suse/linux ...

instead of:

/boot/release/grml64/linux26

To work around this issue replace '/boot/suse/linux' with '/boot/release/grml64/linux26' at the grml64 entry on the bootprompt. Note: the failsafe64 entry does NOT have this problem and booting it works without problems when selecting the failsafe64 bootoption.

The 'forensic64' bootoption uses 'live-media-path=/live/grml/' instead of 'live-media-path=/live/grml64/'. The system will boot with the wrong entry as well but instead of 64bit userland you'll get the 32bit userspace from flavour grml instead. To workaround this issue just edit the forensic64 bootoption at the bootprompt (press the tab key) and replace 'live-media-path=/live/grml/' with 'live-media-path=/live/grml64/'.

The grml team is very sorry about this fsckup. This was the first official remastering of a multi-ISO grml-DVD including a new bootlayout (isolinux with vesamenu) and sadly the configuration error wasn't caught during our tests. Please note that this error happened to the grml team and is NOT the fault of LinuxUser.

Tuesday, August 4. 2009

Several core developers of the grml team will be available at FrOSCon (Free and Open Source Software Conference) on 22nd and 23rd of August 2009 in Sankt Augustin/Germany. We'll have a grml booth featuring grml CDs, usb pens with multiboot ISO setup, grml t-shirts, flyers.... Mika will present some nifty tips and tricks what you can do with grml (including topics like useful bootoptions, Zsh, USB booting and remote access via iSCSI) in his german talk "grml - das Schweizer Taschenmesser der Linux-Notfallsysteme". Please come and visit us!